Potato harvester



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Patented Mar. 18, 1924.

STTES time rarer Price.

GOODWIN W. WISEMAN, OF WATERVILLE, MAINE, ASSIGNOR- TO BOLHNICK M. SUBIAND NATHANIEL H. BARROWS, BOTH OF 'WATERVILLl IPOTATO HARVESTER.

Application filed February 20, 1920. Serial No. 366,091.

T o @7l whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GoonwxN W. WISE- MAN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at lVaterville, in the county of Kennebec and State ofMaine, have invented cert-ain new and useful Improvements in PotatoHarvesters, of which the following is a specification.

This inventi'on relates to potato diggers and cleaners and has for anobject to provide a structure combining mechanical and manual means fordigging, collecting and cleaning potatoes by a continuous operation andin an expedit1ous and comparatively inexpensive manner all as will behereinafter more particularly pointed out and clailned.

Referring to the accompanying drawings which are made a part hereof, andon which 2o similar reference characters indicate similar parts,

Figure 1 is a view of the device in side elevation, parts being brokenaway to show interior construction,

Figure 2- a. top plan view ot the device,

Figure 3 a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1, showing themanner of driving the endless belts,

Figure 4 a perspective view ot a fragment of the lag chain, and

Figure 5 a detail on dotted line 5-5 in Figure 1.

The improved pot-ato digger and cleaner comprises a digger unit. A andan auxiliary cleaner unit B, The digger unit comprises al point 10connected with a beam 11 to which draft is applied at the clevis 12.The. beam is articulated at 13 and controlled b v a lever 14 and segment15 with caster 40 wheels 16 for controlling the depth of the point 10.The point 10 is connected with a body comprising the side walls 17supported by the wheels 18 .carried upon axle 19. Upon the body a motor20 of any approved type is mounted in any approved manner, as by theU-shaped bars 21.

To the rear of the body of the digger A arms 22 extend, pivote-d at 23.Shafts 24 and are journaled in the side wall members 17, the formerextending beyond the walls sufficiently to support the arms 22 when thearms are permitted to drop from normal position as shown at Figures 1and 3. The shafts 24 and 25 are respectively provided with sprockets 26and 27 over which passes the lag chain 28, interengaged, with cross bars30 and 31, extending transversely between such links. As shown, thecross bars 30 are curved upwardly from the plane of the links While thecross bars 31 are bent downwardly so that cross bars 30 and 31 arestaggered and travel in dill'erent planes.

To the rear of the arms 22 the cleaner unit B is attached and comprisesside rails 32 journaling shafts 33 and 34, the latter being adjustableby means o manually controlled screws 35. The shafts 33 and 34 carrysprockets over which passes the lag cha-in 36, similar in all respectsto the lag chain 28. Intermediate the shafts 33 and 34 shafts 37 and 38are journaled. In the drawings two of these shafts are shown, but it isto be understood that the number of such shafts is immaterial to thepresent invention. Each of these shafts 37 and 38 carries an ellipticalsprocket 39, the lag chain passing over these elliptical sprockets forgiving local lagitation at those points for further loosening anddischarging dirt or adhering matter,

Below and at one side of the side rails 32 a ruiming board 40 iserected, carried in any approved manner, as by the bracing shown.

Beneath the structure supporting the running board 40 and platform 41means are provided for supporting the cleaner structure in operation.These comprise a shaft 43 extending across the structure and providedwith bearing wheels 44. A lever 45 and segment 46 are employed fordrawing and holding the wheels temporarily up out of supportingposition, whereupon the arms 22 will drop onto and into engagement withthe shaft 24 and the cleaner structure be supported from the diggerstructure :for turning purposes, A slotted segmental brace 6T connectswith the axle of wheels 44 and with a pin 68 on a frame part 69 to limitits swing in rearward direction and afford a support therefor. y

The lag chains 28 and 36 receive power from the motor 2O by means of achain 47 engaging a sprocket 48 upon the shaft 24. The rotation of thisshaft operates the lag chain 28. From a smaller sprocket on the sameshaft with sprocket 48, a chain 49 passes to a sprocket 50 of largerdiameter upon the shaft 33. A sprocket on said 110 shaft 33 carries thesprocket chain 51 extending the length of the cleaner and operating uponthe sprocket 52 on the shaft 34. The lag chain 36 is therefore driven atboth ends through the rotation of the shafts 33 and 34, and at a speedconsiderably slower than lag chain 28.

At the upper and rearward end the apron, consisting of lag chain 36discharges into a hopper 53, positioned to discharge 1ntothe-receptacles 42. Said receptacles 42 are mounted on a platform 61mounted to rotate around a shaft 62 to bring said receptacles 42 underthe discharge chute of hopper 53 one after another in succession. B thismeans as one receptacle is filled anotlier may be brought to positionwithout stopping and thelilled receptacles may be set off platform fromtime to time and empty ones put in their places while the machine in ismotion. Hooks 63 are hinged to a ring 64 on shaft 62 to retain saidreceptacles in place. A disk 65 with notches in lts edge to engage apivoted latch 66 serves to position the platform to bring thereceptacles in proper relation to the hopper.

In operation the lag chains 28 and 36 are actuated by and from the motor20, wholly independently of the traction or motion of the structure overthe ground. The depth to which the point l0 is to travel is regulated bmanipulating the lever 14, whereupon tlie potatoes, together with theadjacent soil, are delivered upon the lag chain 28. AThis lag chain 28is of such length as to properly elevate the potatoes and the adheringvines, dirt and the like, and to discharge b dropping through the chaina considera le portion of the dirt not adhering to the potatoes. Theadhering dirt, however, :together with the potatoes, vines and the likeare dumped upon the lag chain 36, where they are subjected to theagitation produced by the elliptical sprockets 39. Also the operatorstands upon the running board 40 and manually removes from the materialtraveling along the lag chain such matter as is to be separated fromvthe potatoes, as for instance, vines, stones or the like which arethrown to one side as the device travels. The potatoes cleaned andseparated from extraneous matter are dumped into the hopper 53 andguided by the chute 54 into the receptacle 42, which is removed andreplaced as circumstances may require.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. In combination a potato digger, a cleaner, means for supporting thedigger unit, means for independently supporting the cleaner unit attimes, and means to withdraw the independent support of the cleaner unitand support the cleaner unit from thc (ligger unit when desired.

2. In combination, a potato digger supported by wheels, a normallywheel-supported cleaner unit trailing therefrom, means for withdrawingthe supporting wheels of the cleaner unit, and means for supporting thecleaner unit from the digger unit.

3. The combination of a potato digger, a cleaner trailing from thedigger, means for supporting said cleaner from the ground, means forraising the cleaner supporting means oil' the ground, and other meansfor supporting the cleaner from the digger.

4. In a potato digger mounted upon wheels, a cleaner unit trailingtherefrom and normally wheel-supported, a slotted segment extendingupwardly from the axle of the cleaner unit, means for guiding th'esegment upwardly to withdraw the supporting wheels of the cleaner unitfrom the ground, and other means for supporting the cleaner unit fromthe digger when the said wheels are Withdrawn.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal atllfvashington, D. C. this 18th day of February, A. D. nineteen hundredand twenty.

GOODWIN W. WISEMAN. Witnesses E. W. BRADFORD, E. K. REICHENBACH.

